Daring Do and the Hunt for the Hippogriff's Harp

Prologue

May 15th, 1476
3,000 feet above the Badlands, Equestria

Captain Blackjack sat in his quarters before a table of charts and maps, plotting out the final leg of their journey. Blackjack was a hippogriff - the result of breeding between a griffon and a mare. Like a griffon, his head was that of an eagle, covered in immaculate white feathers. The front part of his body was that of a lion, his sinewy forelegs ended in the talons of an eagle. The hindquarters were that of a pony, complete with hooves and a tail of unruly white hair. His coat was a dark brown, and upon his flank was a cutie mark of a royal flush in the suit of clubs.

The hippogriff captain and his crew had been tasked with transporting some precious cargo for the leader of their people, Queen Rozenn Thunderstruck. The hippogriff monarch, a talented musician, was scheduled to perform at the neighboring pony kingdom's capital, Canterlot, and so Blackjack and his crew were delivering all the necessary supplies for her concert. The cargo also included a national treasure, the queen's magical harp, so it had been a high honor for the hippogriff sailors. The sailors had been perhaps a tad too excited about this task, as they had done their fair share of bragging in the cider taverns before they took off.

A knock at the door to his cabin pried Blackjack's attention from the charts. He stood and opened the door, an ashen-faced sailor waited on the other side. Blackjack knew something must be wrong, he could feel it in his feathers. "What's the problem, ensign?" Blackjack asked.

The sailor raised his wing in a salute. "Sir, we have a situation. Vessel closing in fast on our six."

Blackjack scowled and spread his wings, flying quickly up to the bridge. He raised his spyglass to his eye and gazed astern at the horizon. A distant dot soared through the overcast skies, gradually increasing in size with each passing moment. He swore and glanced over his shoulder, silently urging his ship, the Half-Blood's Lament, ever faster. He turned his attention back to the approaching craft and snarled. The dot had become two dots, and they were both coming in fast.

The Lament was a Clipper-class cargo airship, a product of Forelockheed Aerospace. It was one of the fastest classes of airships in the world, but they were heavily laden with cargo as well as some defensive modifications including a large ballista and metal plating along the hull, severely reducing their speed. The helmsman nervously asked Blackjack, "Think we can lose 'em, skipper?"

"I don't have my hopes up, but head for that cloudbank off the starboard bow," Blackjack said.

"Aye, aye, captain," the helmsman replied as he turned the wheel, steering the airship towards the clouds off to the right.

The two vessels were drawing nearer, and Blackjack could make out flags being hoisted on them - black banners with a white canine skull and crossed bones. Pirates. Even worse, dog pirates. Blackjack spit. "Pirates! Sound the general quarters!"

A sailor began rapidly ringing the ship's bell. summoning the crew to battle stations. A small group of heavily armed and armored hippogriffs emerged from below decks. They were the queen's royal guards that had been tasked with guarding the harp. Their leader, a burly hippogriff named Steelwing, flapped his wings and landed next to Blackjack. Steelwing's coat and feathers were dark grey, his cutie mark of a winged shield barely visible beneath his gleaming silver armor.

Blackjack handed the spyglass to Steelwing. "Two vessels approach from the south," Blackjack said. "Pirates both, as you can see."

Steelwing casually gazed at the approaching ships and shrugged. "Let the worms come. This was getting to be a boring trip, anyway."

As the two pirate ships drew near, Steelwing readied the defenders. The small contingent of royal guards was supplemented by crewmen of the Lament, but they would still be vastly outnumbered by the pirates. Steelwing divided the hippogriffs into small fighting squads, then assigned them to guard each side of the airship. A team of veteran marines had been provided to man the ballista, and as they readied their weapon they offered words of encouragement to calm the nerves of the less experienced crewmen.

Blackjack kept an eye on their pursuers, which were still closing in fast on their slower prey. The pirate ships were much smaller than the Lament and their hulls had been painted in a camouflage pattern to try and match the sky, an old disguise trick favored by pirates. Blackjack watched the approaching ships, rapidly clenching and unclenching his talons into fists, quivering in rage. He could see the pirates now, bipedal canines who seemed to be armed to the teeth, but thankfully lightly armored.

Blackjack smirked and began to put on the chainmail armor a crewmember had brought for him. The hippogriffs were outnumbered, but he was confident that their likely-superior equipment and training would even up the score. Blackjack buckled on a sword belt and inspected his cutlass before slipping it back in the scabbard. He moved to the front of the bridge and bellowed, "This is it, men! Gods save the Queen!"

The hippogriffs erupted into a chorus of 'Gods Save the Queen' as the pirates began to make their attack, answering the hippogriffs' chant with a dreadful baying. The ballista's shot sent a spray of splinters into the dogs as it tore through the railing of their ship and several unfortunate pirates. Undaunted, the lead pirate ship began to close in and work its way abeam of the Lament.

The lead ship accelerated, passing the Lament with a litany of curses, taunts, barks, and howls pouring from the pirates on the deck. The pirate ship continued to blitz past the Lament, before it suddenly swung completely around and veered head-on towards the hippogriffs. Blackjack chuckled and slowly shook his head. They're trying to ram us? Can't they see the metal plating on our hull?

Blackjack put his talons on the helmsman's shoulder. "They want to play chicken, eh? When they flee, I want you to turn into them and give 'em hell!"

The helmsman smiled happily. "Aye, aye, skipper."

Silence befell the airship as everypony waited, watching for the pirates to break off their attack. The pirates held their bow to the Lament, closing in until there was only a hundred feet between the two vessels. The pirates suddenly swerved sharply to starboard and raucous cheers erupted from the hippogriffs. Blackjack smugly smiled at the fleeing pirates and yelled, "You scurvy dogs!"

"Now we've got them!" Blackjack shouted, as the helmsman rapidly spun the wheel to the left.  The Lament shuddered under the impact as its steel-plated bow ripped into the pirate ship, gouging a large gash from midship all the way to the transom. Blackjack watched the fleeing pirates and immediately knew something was wrong. Instead of any sign of concern over what just happened to their ship, the pirates were grinning and laughing.

Blackjack looked to the right and saw what the pirates thought was humorous. The lead ship's attack had merely been a distraction. Her captain had even let his vessel get rammed in order to play out the charade. While the hippogriff's were watching the lead ship play out the game of chicken, the second ship had ascended just out of sight, waiting. When the Lament had impacted with the lead ship, the lurking pirates sprung into action, descending and lashing the two airships together with grappling hooks. With a chorus of terrifying howls, pirates began to swarm aboard the Lament.

Blackjack cursed his foolishness under his breath and drew his cutlass as he prepared to defend the bridge alongside the Lament's first mate, a lanky hippogriff mare. The first of the pirates had barely touched the deck when they were struck down by a hail of arrows. The hippogriffs were lethally accurate, and every razor-sharp arrow had met its mark. A second wave of pirates charged onto the Lament and Steelwing's men surged forwards to meet them. The hippogriffs' superior training gave them the advantage and they quickly repelled the initial attacks. The pirates, used to attacking lightly armed pony vessels, not well-armed soldiers, faltered and fled back to their ship with their tails between their legs. Steelwing rallied his men and pursued the pirates back onto their own ship.

The pirates were running around in disarray, yelping in terror, before their captain, a massive Great Dane looking dog, restored order. "You bloody mongrels! Are you dogs, or cats? There are three of you for every one of them! Have all you mutts forgotten the lessons of the wolf!"

The pirates heeded their captain's words, thinking of how the wolf hunts in a pack, and realized that despite their losses, they still vastly outnumbered the hippogriffs. Attacking in large groups, the pirates would single out a hippogriff and overrun his position, quickly turning the tide of battle in their favor. Steelwing and his men regrouped and began cutting their way through the pirate horde back to the Lament.

Not wanting to fall for the same trick twice, Blackjack had kept his eye on the wounded pirate ship. Sure enough, It had swung around and was coming in towards the Lament's port. The pirates began to throw grapples and the hippogriffs moved to engage the new threat. Blackjack readied his cutlass and flew towards the port rail.

"Port side! We must sever the grappling lines!" Blackjack ordered. The marines, realizing the danger if the second ship was able to unload her pirates, abandoned the ballista and rushed to help.

Blackjack raised his cutlass and sent a rope line whipping back towards the pirate ship. He prepared to slice another line and heard a whistling through the air as an arrow hit the deck an inch from his hoof. He ignored it and cut another grapple line, then flapped his wings and rolled to the right as another arrow streaked by. He peeked up from behind the railing and saw a dog archer perched upon the pirate ship's crow's nest.

Blackjack watched as the archer slowly, deliberately, aimed his bow further astern. Blackjack tried to shout out a warning, but was too late. The arrow pierced his chainmail hauberk and plunged into the helmsman's chest, who gasped and fell to his knees. The archer smiled and nodded at Blackjack, before letting loose another arrow, this one hitting the first mate's unprotected wing as she knelt to tend to the injured helmsman.

Blackjack glanced around the deck. They appeared to be losing the battle. The majority of the hippogriffs were fighting for their lives against an endless swarm of pirates. A wounded dog lay nearby, and Blackjack hoisted him over his shoulders, using the pirate as a living shield. Blackjack made his way along the port side, slicing grapples as the archer mercifully held his fire. With only a few lines left, the archer had second thoughts and opened fire on Blackjack once more, peppering his own comrade with arrows in a desperate attempt to stop the hippogriff.

Blackjack rolled the dog off his shoulders and watched the marines as they hacked through the final lines, then collapsed on the deck to catch his breath. Pain lanced through his body as an arrow tore through his wing. He clambered to his feet and dashed towards cover, but not before another arrow had hit its mark, piercing through his chainmail and embedding itself in his shoulder.

Blackjack grimaced and glared towards the archer, watched as the pirate ship drifted away. He muttered, "Damn your eyes." The archer notched one last arrow and snap-fired towards Blackjack,

Steelwing and the other hippogriffs had fought their way back onboard, and together they cast off the starboard grapples. With their ship freed, the first mate spun the wheel hard to port to get some distance between them and the pirates. The threat diminished, the marines quickly got back onto their ballista and began firing at the pirates once more. Their shots were both accurate and destructive, and soon dissuaded the two bold pirate captains.

The hippogriffs dealt with the few remaining pirates onboard the Lament and watched in relief as their attackers turned and fled, both of the pirate ships were badly damaged. A great cheer erupted from the surviving hippogriffs as the pirate ship that had been rammed suddenly began to yaw then spiraled towards the ground below. Blackjack staggered back to the bridge and took over the helm. Raising the spyglass with his uninjured arm, he could make out Canterlot Mountain in the distance and turned the wheel to get back on course.

An eerie silence crept over the deck, prompting Blackjack to limp to the forward rail and peer down. The sight stunned him. Littered across the blood-spattered deck was a tangled mass of bodies of dogs and hippogriffs. Blackjack had never seen such carnage. Of the twenty-seven sailors, soldiers, and marines that had been aboard the Lament, only eleven were left standing, and most were badly wounded. Blackjack could count at least twenty dogs' bodies on the deck, and knew Steelwing and the marines must have claimed far more aboard the pirates' own ships, but the thought gave no comfort. Shaken by the sight and his loss of blood, he stared up into the heavens and whispered, "Gods save us all..."

Blackjack made his way back to the helm and tightly gripped the wheel. He could feel himself getting weaker, slipping towards unconsciousness. His eyes stared vacantly at the mountain in the distance as he used his ebbing strength to attempt to keep the airship on course.

Chapter 1

July 5th, 2013
Baltimare, Equestria

The taxi began to slow as it neared the destination, 1 Sea Mist Lane, a private residence on the shoreline of Baltimare. Baltimare was the second largest seaport and one of the largest cities in Equestria. The city had been built on the east shore of Equestria, off of Horseshoe Bay, and was well known for the variety of festivals it hosts. The taxi came to a stop at the end of a long, winding, cobblestone driveway. An ornate mailbox, shaped like a sphinx, could be seen at the end of the drive. It was marked 'D. Do'

The cabbie looked back over his shoulder. "We're here, miss. That'll be twenty bits."

The hippogriff passenger, Marion Thunderstruck, plucked a handful of coins from a pouch and paid her fare. Marion was the descendant of Queen Rozenn Thunderstruck, an ancient hippogriff monarch. As the youngest of seven children, Marion knew it would be unlikely she would become queen, and so she had decided to travel the world instead of entering politics like her brothers and sisters. Marion's head and upper body were covered with ivory white feathers. The feathers of her wings were reddish brown with ivory white primary and secondary coverts, forming a strip of white feathers. Her coat was light brown and the hair of her tail was black. Her cutie mark consisted of a lightning bolt striking a tree.

The young hippogriff exhibited a pulchritude that some found irresistible, and despite her royal lineage she wasn't afraid of getting her talons dirty. For the last three years, Marion had been on a quest to find her ancestor's enchanted harp, which had disappeared while being transported to Canterlot, hundreds of years ago. Marion had pursued the scarce leads she had been able to find as to the harp, but had no luck recovering it. In desperation, she had obtained an audience with Princess Celestia, the long-lived pony royal who had been alive at the time of the harp's disappearance. Even Celestia claimed to have no knowledge of the harp's whereabouts, and so Marion had come to Baltimare in search of the one pony who might be able to help - the famous pegasus Daring Do.

Marion grabbed her briefcase and climbed out of the cab. "Thank you, sir."

Marion began to make her way towards the elegant stone mansion in the distance, the home of the legendary adventurer Daring Do. Marion had been raised in an extravagant palace, and had visited many more spectacular dwellings during her travels, but she had to pause for a moment and appreciate the home she saw before her. Made of limestone, the three-story mansion featured several towers and a plethora of jewel-like stained glass windows. A large stony balcony sat over the front doors, and in the back there was an enclosed porch that overlooked the bay.

Marion made her way to the entry way and was in awe of the cherry wood doors, which featured beautiful stained glass windows, upon which were scenes of some exotic jungle locale. Daring Do's cutie mark, a compass rose, was embossed on the door knobs, adding a unique, personal touch to the home. Marion knocked on the doors, but there was no response. She stood there for a few moments, admiring the intricate stonework of the house. She could hear faint music coming from out back of the house, and she decided to investigate.

Marion made her way down a cobblestone pathway towards the water and the source of the music. She could see a large boathouse in the same design as the mansion and headed towards it. The door was open and Marion peeked inside. She saw the phonograph that was playing the Glenn Muler Orchestra's 'In the Mood.' A rum runner boat, featuring a long narrow platform and a planing hull designed for maximum speed, was tied up in one of the slips. In the other, a twin-boom seaplane with a single, central nacelle was being worked on. It was a Forelockheed product, one of  the Waterbolt line of seaplanes, which were based off the legendary Lighting fighter craft of yore, and boasted similar performance characteristics, lessened by the floats.

The seaplane's noseart featured a treasure chest overflowing with jewels and gold doubloons and a stylishly painted name proclaimed it as the Adventure. Marion heard a metallic clang and looked towards the seaplane. Daring was working on one of the engines, the only visible part of her was her well-toned rump and hindquarters. Her tail was a greyscale rainbow of greys and black, a lovely combination with her golden yellow coat.

"Come on, baby, don't do this to me," Daring said as she smacked her wrench against the troublesome engine once more. One more hit, and the turbo-supercharged engine roared to life. Daring began to sputter and cough as she staggered back, her face covered in soot. Daring flapped her wings and leapt up to the cockpit, leaned in and shut off the engine. She saw Marion out of the corner of her eye and began wiping her face with a cloth as she made her way to the hippogriff.

"Sorry, for the intrusion, Miss Do. I need your help," Marion said.

Daring looked Marion over and gave her a grin. "A hippogriff, can't say I've seen too many of your kind." Daring held out her hoof. "Daring Do."

Marion shook the hoof. "Marion Thunderstruck."

Daring raised an eyebrow. "Thunderstruck, eh? Any relation to the royal family?"

"Yes, but don't worry about any formalities. I sure don't," Marion said.

Daring felt her stomach growling. She turned off the phonograph then started to wash her hooves in a sink. "Would you care to join me for lunch? We can discuss your matter at hoof over something to eat."

"That would be wonderful, thank you," Marion replied.

Daring dried off her hooves then picked up her trademark hat, a khaki pith helmet, and slipped it on. "Splendid! Let's head on up to the house."

Daring and Marion headed up to the house, which proved to be even more breathtaking on the inside. Daring gave her a quick tour of her home. The floors were parquet, a blend of oak and cherry. Trinkets, paintings, and random relics lined the walls, the bounty of a life of adventure. The first floor featured a kitchen, dining room, library, sitting room, and a stained glass-domed conservatory filled with exotic plants and trees that Marion couldn't identify. The second floor featured several bedrooms, including a glorious master bedroom with a large hot tub, and a large living room that led out onto the stone balcony Marion had seen on the way in. The third floor had at once been a ballroom, but Daring had converted it to a lounge and billiards hall. Staircases from the third floor led up into the towers. One had a study, another a bedroom, and the third was a scenic sitting room that provided a lovely view of Horseshoe Bay and the surrounding city.

Daring left her guest in the downstairs sitting room and went to prepare their lunch. Marion eagerly inspected the objects that were on display in a glass showcase. They included ancient golden coins, scrimshaw, carved stone idols, and even a skull made of crystal. Marion stared in wonder at the décor and blushed as she caught her gaze lingering upon a large oil painting of Daring in the buff.  She heard the clip-clop of Daring's hooves and sat down to await her host.

Daring entered bearing a tray full of food. She had prepared a tomato and garlic soup, grilled asparagus, lettuce, and bell pepper sandwiches served on toasted French bread, and blackberry sorbet for dessert. She also had a pitcher of grape juice, which she poured into two glasses. The pair happily dug into their meal, eating in silence until Daring asked, "So, Marion, what would you like my assistance with?"

Marion looked into Daring's dark pink eyes. "My family really doesn't like this story being told, but you look like a good, trustworthy mare."

Daring flashed her a smile. "Thank you."

"Have you heard of the magical harp my people used to control the weather? Marion asked.

Daring nodded. "Indeed I have."

"Legend tells that the very first hippogriff's father was a musician, and his mother was a unicorn. His parents combined their talents to produce the harp as testament to their love, just like their son. It was the symbol of my people for generations. Sadly, in the late 1400s it was lost," Marion explained.

Daring frowned. As an aficionado of relics, she had read of the harp before, and didn't recall any mentions of it being missing. "Lost? I've read about the history of that harp and don't remember it being lost."

"My people, in our shame, decided to cover up the loss of the harp. Those were different times. We already felt like second-class citizens, we did not want to be a laughingstock as well if the other peoples had learned we lost our prized possession," Marion sadly said.

"I'm pretty sure I know where this is going. I'll need to know everything about the loss of the harp if I'm to be able to find it," Daring said with a smile.

Marion opened her briefcase and pulled out a notebook and a bunch of old sepia photographs, then set them in front of Daring. The notebook contained her research on the harp, while the photos were rather disturbing shots of bog-preserved bodies of dogs and hippogriffs as well as an airship. "As you can see in my notes, the last known location of the harp was aboard the Half-Blood's Lament in 1476. They were bringing it to Canterlot so the queen could perform in concert. Somewhere along the way, they must have ran into trouble, as they never arrived."

Marion leaned forwards and browsed through the photos, selecting one that showed the airship. "The closest we've come to finding the harp was in 1923 when an expedition led by my great-great grandfather recovered this vessel out of the Froggy Bottom Bog."

Daring inspected the photographs. She was no stranger to the macabre, having explored many a tomb, but the photos of the bodies they recovered from the bog made her grimace. Marion pointed to one of the photos, which showed a collection of weaponry near preserved hippogriffs. "The arms and armor of the hippogriffs and dogs put them in the 1400s."

"The airship wasn't the Half Blood's Lament though, so what was it?" Daring asked.

"It appeared to be a pirate ship. Since hippogriffs were found aboard, we believe the pirates attacked the Lament and were defeated, but sadly they took some of our people with them. The Lament may have been badly damaged in the fight, but we've never found a single trace of her."

As they finished their lunch, Daring read over Marion's notes. She found the case very alluring. Not only were there pirates involved, and therefore a chance to find some treasure, but a magical relic was as well. Daring finished her sorbet and sipped at her juice. "Well, Miss Thunderstruck. You have my interest, and it would be my pleasure to help you find this harp."

"Thank you so much," Marion said with a smile.

"If you don't mind sharing your secret with another pony, I have a friend that may be able to offer us some insight," Daring said. "I imagine she'll be very eager to lend her expertise, she kind of has a thing for Forelockheed aircraft."

"A friend of yours is a friend of mine, I hope. If it helps find the harp, then I am all for it," Marion replied.

"Excellent. Lend me a hoof and we'll get these dishes cleaned up, then we'll head down to her house," Daring said.

A short while later the pair set off towards Baltimare's Inner Harbor. Sitting on a bench across the street, a cigarette smoking mare watched them with interest, peering over a newspaper through a pair of dark sunglasses. The mare had turquoise hair and a pale, bluish-white coat. Her cutie mark was of an arrowhead. As Daring and Marion rounded a corner, the mare rose and casually followed in their hoofsteps, making sure to stay far enough behind that they would not notice.

Chapter 2

July 5th, 2013
Baltimare, Equestria

Daring Do and Marion navigated their way through throngs of tourists and locals alike as they made their way around Baltimare's Inner Harbor. Serving as one of Equestria's major seaports since the 1700s, the Inner Harbor was now a popular tourist attraction, boasting world-renowned restaurants, shopping, museums, cruises along Horseshoe Bay, the famous Baltimare Science Center, the National Aquarium, as well as a collection of historic ships and submarines moored at the piers and open for exploration. Marion had been especially interested in the museum dedicated to the legendary baseball player Babe Hoof, but it, and all the other intriguing attractions, would have to wait for some other time.

Daring and Marion paused to spectate one of the waterfront street performers. an Earth pony breathing flames and walking along hot coals. The onlookers clapped their hooves as the Earth pony finished her performance by igniting a string of fireworks with her heated hooves. The pair continued onwards and a short while later had reached their destination - the Baltimare Aeronautical Museum. A sixty-foot propeller from some beast of an aircraft hung over the entryway of the massive museum complex, which had been designed to look like a hangar. A myriad of aircraft could be seen through the windows.

Daring started up the steps to the museum as Marion quizzically read the museum's sign and hurried to catch up. "I thought you said we were going to your friend's house?" Marion asked.

Daring winked back at Marion as she pushed open the doors to the museum. "This is her house, hon."

An aging pegasus mare, Slipstream Forelockheed, sat behind the reception desk reading a newspaper. Her coat was a sky blue and her hair was a light grey, streaked with white. Her cutie mark was of a winged star. The mare's eyes lit up as she spied Daring Do, and she flapped her wings, leaping over the desk to embrace her friend. She gave Daring a quick peck on the cheek. "Oh, Daring! It's always a pleasure to see you, hon. I don't think I've had a chance to talk to you since you got back from your last expedition. Everything went well, I hope?"

Daring smiled. "Better than I could have imagined. I found the tomb of a fourth century king, untouched by raiders!"

Slipstream frowned. "Really? There was nothing about it in the papers."

Daring laughed. "When we discover a find like that we tend to keep it under wraps, lest the unsavory sort head out there to plunder it. It will likely be months before the archaeologists finish excavating the site and go public with our findings, but swing by the house sometime and I can show you some photographs I took."

"Oh, that would be lovely. Well, Daring, who is your little friend?" Slipstream asked.

Daring introduced the hippogriff, "Marion Thunderstruck, meet Slipstream, owner of this museum and heiress to the Forelockheed fortune."

Marion gasped and shook Slipstream's hoof. "An honor to meet you, Miss Forelockheed."

Slipstream grinned and curtseyed. "Likewise, your highness."

Marion rolled her eyes. "Thank you, but you need not worry about the formalities. Just Marion is fine by me."

"Alright then, Marion. Now, I presume you ladies require my assistance with some aviation related research?"

Daring nodded and glanced around the museum, noticing the small groups of patrons and employees scattered about. "Can we move this conversation to your quarters?"

Slipstream held out her hoof towards a roped off stairwell. "Of course, hon. This way, ladies."

Marion and Daring headed up the stairs and into Slipstream's private residence - a lush flat that would put some of the most luxurious Manehattan dwellings to shame. Featuring antique, ornate, hoof-crafted cherry wood furniture and a collection of artwork worth several million bits, the expensive décor reminded Marion of her family's palace back home. Slipstream led them into her study. The walls of the study were paneled in wood salvaged from the deck of an airship. Portraits of the Forelockheed family adorned the walls and peeked out interspersed between overflowing bookshelves and filing cabinets. The centerpiece of the room was a large, intricately engraved, antique campaign desk commissioned by Admiral Pitot Forelockheed in the 19th century during the Lemon Tree War, crafted with wood from the enemies' flagship after Admiral Pitot's fleet shot it down. The desk's engravings included the Equestria flag, the Royal Navy's insignia, and various battle scenes of engagements the Admiral took part in during the war.

Slipstream motioned for them to sit at a small table by a window overlooking the bay as she went into the kitchen. She returned with a glass of ice water for each of them and joined them at the table. Slipstream sipped at her drink and leaned forwards in her chair while rubbing her hooves together. "Daring Do and a hippogriff princess need my help. Ah, but not just any hippogriff princess. The rebellious youngest daughter. This should be interesting..."

Marion, a notorious party-mare before she became obsessed with finding the harp, frowned and looked at Daring, who shrugged her wings in response.

Slipstream gently pat Marion's talons. "I'm sorry, hon. You do tend to make the tabloids, you know. What would you like my assistance with?"

"We're looking for one of your ancestors' creations, a Clipper-class airship owned by the hippogriff kingdom, the Half-Blood's Lament was the name," Daring explained. "It was en route to Canterlot in 1476 and nopony has seen it since."

Slipstream rubbed at her chin with her wingtip. "Hmm... Oh! I was trying to recall why that seemed familiar to me," Slipstream said as she flew towards a bookshelf. She plucked a book titled Aeronautical Mysteries from the shelf and landed back at the table. She glanced at the index then flipped to the page detailing the Lament's disappearance. "Let's see. According to this author's investigation, they believe the Lament never made it to Equestria, having been blown off course and crashing in the Bermooda Triangle."

Marion pulled her notebook and photographs out of her briefcase and set it before Slipstream. "That seems implausible, as you can see I have some evidence that the Lament made it to Equestria."

Slipstream poured over the notebook and photographs and nodded. "Indeed you do. After you found the ship in the bog, your people continued to search, yes?"

Marion nodded. "My grandfather believed the Lament made it all the way north to the Unicorn Range, crashing there due to bad weather. They never found a trace of her, and I've been trying to search the Range myself, but it is an arduous task."

"Well, Marion, let me take a crack at it and with any luck I shall find this missing airship for you," Slipstream said, then rose and flew towards a filing cabinet and began rummaging through a collection of charts and maps.

Daring leaned back in her chair and grinned at Marion. "Now you get to see her work her magic."

Slipstream returned and rolled out some charts on the floor. She moved a see-through overlay onto a chart and began to copy a flight path from one of the other charts. "This is the flight plan your missing airship was most likely following, having been the established route for hippogriff merchantmen since 1251."

Slipstream pointed towards Foggy Bottom Bog, which was slightly off course of the traced route. "Alright, hon. The vessel your great-great grandfather recovered was found here. The presence of hippogriff bodies with period armaments tells us it almost had to have been involved with the Lament's disappearance."

Slipstream began to run numbers in her head as she traced a path along the chart. "The pirates attack, the Lament gets off course. A Forelockheed aircraft can take a pounding, but even they have limits. The crew may be badly hurt, their ship may be damaged, they're losing airspeed, losing altitude..."

Her hoof stopped and she looked up at Daring with a frown as she arrived at the start of Everfree Forest, an infamous region known for its wild magic and unpredictable behaviors. Once home to the Royal Pony Sisters - princesses Celestia and Luna - it was the only place in all of Equestria that the clouds moved on their own, the plants grew by themselves, and the animals could take care of themselves. Slipstream shuddered. "And they crash land in the Everfree Forest, never to be seen again."

Marion pouted. "Is.. is that bad? What is the Everfree Forest?."

"It is a mysterious land rampant with magic," Daring explained. "Anything can, and usually does, happen there. If your missing airship is indeed there, there is no surprise that it has never been found. I remember an article about a notorious gang of thieves that tried to raid the Royal Pony Sister castle a few years back. They would never say just what it was that happened to them, but when they returned, half-crazed and near-death several months later, they all immediately turned themselves in and swore to never even think of stealing ever again."

Slipstream stood on her hind legs and put her hooves on her hips as Daring and Marion studied the chart. There was a twinkle in Daring's eyes, a twinkle Slipstream had seen before. "You're going to Everfree, aren't you, hon," Slipstream said, knowing full well that she was.

Daring grimly nodded. "The Lament almost has to be somewhere in Everfree, unfortunately. Just feels like the right place to me."

"Just what is it you think is on this airship?" Slipstream asked.

"The Half-Blood's Lament was carrying my people's magical harp that could control the weather," Marion confessed. "I've spent years trying to find it on my own, and..." She began to cry.

Daring put her hoof on Marion's shoulder. "We're getting this harp back, princess. I've survived more mummy's curses, booby traps, ambushes, kidnappings, super villains, snakes - oh gosh the snakes... and various calamities than I can shake a hoof at. We'll find the harp, I promise."

Marion wiped at her eyes and hugged Daring. "Thank you, Daring Do. I knew you were the right mare to come to!"

"I would like to sponsor this little excursion," Slipstream said. "All expenses paid, but in return I get whatever is left of the airship. The Clipper-class airships were all scrapped centuries ago, I'm sorry to say. It would make quite an attraction for the museum."

Marion thrust out her taloned hand. "Deal!"

An adventuring professional, Daring had already begun mentally tallying up what they would need in order to search for the Half-Blood's Lament. After a few minutes sunk deep in thought, she smiled up at the two mares. "Slipstream, think you can get a drop tank and camera rig for my plane?"

"Of course, hon," Slipstream answered. She looked cautiously around the room, "I'll even get you a state-of-the-art military grade set up, if you promise not to tell anypony. Perks of having a skunk works emblazoned with your family's name."

Daring laughed. "Wonderful. Alright, here's the plan. We'll do a standard search pattern over the Forest and while we're lookin', the camera will be clickin'. If we can't find anything, we can then analyze the photos and hopefully spot something our eyes were unable to. Sound good?"

"Sounds fine to me," Marion said.

"Alright then," Daring said with a grin. "How long do you think it would take you to get my plane ready, Slipstream?"

Slipstream frowned and nervously rubbed her hooves together. "Oh, Daring, you're really putting me out on a limb here," Slipstream said as she winked at Marion. "Is half an hour good enough?"

Daring chuckled and playfully batted at Slipstream with her wing. "I reckon that's just about perfect. Still several hours of daylight left. Depending on weather conditions, we ought to be able to cover a decent amount of Everfree before the sun sets. Of course, it is Everfree, so who knows what will happen in that regard."

"Alright, hon. You girls go get whatever supplies you need and I'll have my boys work on your plane," Slipstream said.

Daring hugged Slipstream before heading back downstairs. "Thanks, Slipstream. We'll see you in half an hour then!"

Marion bowed her head. "Yes, thank you so much for your assistance."

Slipstream waved at the departing mares and began to put away the charts when she got the peculiar sensation of being watched. She furrowed her brow and discretely glanced out the window, but there were few vantage points that would be able to see into the second-story window, and Slipstream saw nopony in sight. She shrugged off the feeling and hurried downstairs - she had a lot of strings to pull in order to fulfill her thirty-minute promise to Daring and Marion.

Chapter 3

July 5th, 2013
100 feet above the treetops, Everfree Forest, Equestria

Slipstream had made good on her boast of thirty-minutes, and the Forelockheed techies had even worked on the plane's engines that had been troubling Daring for quite some time. The Adventure was now better than ever, and Daring had giggled with glee as she saw a little sign they had added to the cockpit - 'Do not exceed airspeeds of 500 MPH.' After loading their supplies and a getting a quick rundown on how to operate the camera and ditch the drop tank, if need be, Daring and Marion had heartily thanked Slipstream once more and had immediately took off on a heading towards Everfree Forest.

The flight had been uneventful until the Adventure had crossed over into the airspace above Everfree Forest. As they passed over the outskirts of Everfree, the aircraft's instruments and gauges had gone haywire due to a magical anomaly. When they were still airborne several anxious minutes later, they laughed it off as just one of the many magical mysteries that abounded in Everfree.

The weather conditions over the Everfree Forest, infamous for changing at the drop of the hat and ranging from fierce storms with hail the size of bowling balls to fog so think movement was impaired,  were mercifully perfect for their task, providing high visibility and therefore greatly increasing their odds of finding the Half-Blood's Lament. The first hour had Daring and Marion on the edge of their seats, concerned over what calamities could assail them from the forest below.

When nothing happened besides a line of clouds merrily following in their wake like a fluffy white serpent, the pair had relaxed and resumed the casual chit-chatting they had been engaged in on the flight over.

Daring was bemusedly observing some brightly glowing will-o'-the-wisps as they darted amongst the foliage below when she felt her stomach begin to growl. "Hey, Marion. Could you pass me some berries, please?"

"Sure thing," Marion said as she began to turn around to get some of the blackberries and blueberries they had brought for a snack. As she looked to their rear, her blood froze. On their six o'clock was an enormous mound of vegetation in hot pursuit. A pair of glowing yellow eyes glared up at them from above a gaping maw of a mouth. It was a plant elemental, which were usually benign, but unfortunately the roar of the Adventure's twin supercharged engines had awoken this one and sent it into a fury.

Marion tapped Daring with her wing, "D-Daring, we have a problem."

Daring's ears perked up in concern as she heard the fearful quaver in Marion's voice. Daring looked back and swore, "Hay bales! Alright, buckle up, time to see what my baby can do!"

Daring pushed the throttle forwards and yanked back on the stick, hoping to get some distance and altitude between them and the elemental. The plane shot upwards with a speed that surprised Marion and Daring both. After ascending several hundred feet, Daring looked back over her shoulder and swore again. The elemental was expanding its body in order to keep up with the fleeing plane, and now towered over the Forest.

Daring leveled off and put the ball to the wall, pushing the throttle all the wall forwards until the knob touched the instrument panel. The Adventure accelerated and quickly left the lumbering elemental far behind. Daring glanced towards the airspeed indicator and sighed as she saw it was still on the fritz. She felt something nagging at her and she remembered the warning sign the mechanics had added. "Is it gone? We need to slow down. I have no idea how fast we're going and I don't want to risk damaging the plane, or us."

Marion looked back and scanned the treetops - there was no sign of the elemental. "I think we're safe, I can't see it. I think it's gone."

"Good," Daring said, as she eased back on the throttle. "Remind me to send some gifts to Slipstream and her crew once we get back to Baltimare. Those improvements her boys made really saved our flanks. We had to be doing at least four-fifty."

"All I know is we were going fast! Uh, so, should we quit for the day?" Marion asked.

"Up to you. I'd guess we got maybe one-sixth of Everfree covered today. The conditions are good right now though if you want to keep going, since who knows what it will be like tomorrow, or even five minutes from now."

Marion, her heart still racing, thought it over for a bit, letting her nerves calm down. "Well, I was going to say we should go home, since that thing tried to attack us, but you're more familiar with this region than I. I say we stick it out until we can't search anymore."

Daring flashed her a smile. "That's the spirit! Now, about those berries.."

"Oh, right. Here you go," Marion said as she passed Daring a bowl of the berries.

Daring popped a hoofful into her mouth and let the sweet juices flow over her tongue. "Ooh, these are good. We should pick some more up at the market and bake something with them. I know a pretty amazing pie recipe. Found it in the tomb of a fourth century knight. Why it was there, I don't know, but it is delicious."

"That sounds scrumpt-" Marion began to say, interrupting herself with a shriek of terror as the elemental suddenly emerged from the forest in front of them. Vines began to lance out towards the Adventure as Daring choked on her berries. She composed herself and pulled the stick back and to the right and slammed on the rudder pedal as she tried to pull an evasive maneuver, but the vines had already begun to ensnare the plane.

The engines sputtered and groaned as the vines thrust into their casings and began to clog up their mechanisms. Foliage covered the cockpit, plunging the two frightened mares into darkness. With one final wheeze the engines died and the Adventure began to be forcibly dragged downwards as the elemental receded into the Everfree Forest.

"Wh-w-what do you think it is g-going to do to us?" Marion stammered.

"I have no idea. Never encountered something like whatever this thing is," Daring said.

"C-could this be what happened to the airship?" Marion asked.

"Good thinking. Could be," Daring replied. "It can likely crush us like a tin can if it wanted to. I'd imagine it or something like it could have easily destroyed an airship."

As they reached the treetops, the elemental created a web of vines between the trees and tied up the offending aircraft. Satisfied that its slumber would no longer be interrupted by the plane, the elemental slunk off into the distance, returning to its home. Daring and Marion, unable to see the elemental's departure, sat in concerned silence for twenty minutes before curiosity got the better of them and they ventured forth to find out what had happened.

"I know I said it was gone last time, and it came back, but I think it's gone now," Marion said as she pointed to the path of leaves the elemental had left in its wake.

"Good. But I sure don't want to be here if it does come back," Daring said. A single tear ran down her cheek as she inspected her vine-ravaged aircraft. The elemental had caused damage to the plane's engines and frame that would take thousands of bits and weeks of work to repair, if it could even be recovered from its current predicament.

"Yeah.. Sorry about the Adventure, Daring. I can tell she meant a lot to you."

Daring sighed. "Thanks. We've been through a lot together. It breaks my heart to see her like this, but right now we need to worry about ourselves. An hour or two of daylight left, and I'm not sure if I want to be in Everfree after sundown."

"Think we can fly out of here ourselves, or do we need to hoof it? I don't want to get attacked by that thing if it has something against flying creatures."

Daring laughed. "Yeah, getting ravaged by vines isn't exactly my idea of a good time. Head on up past the treetops and see if you can figure out where we are while I get our gear out of my poor plane."

Daring began unloading their supplies from the Adventure as Marion flew above the treetops to try and get their bearings. They appeared to be at least a mile deep into the forest. As she scanned the horizon, Marion could hear faint sounds of a melody, which began to grow louder the more she listened. Perplexed, Marion swooped down and landed next to Daring, who had already strapped on her haversacks and pouches.

"I think we're near somepony's house," Marion said. "Does anypony live out here? I can hear this beautiful music."

Daring perked up her ears but could only hear the creaking of the vines overhead. "I suppose some foalhardy ponies may live out here. I can't hear anything though."

Marion frowned and began slipping on her gear. "Really? It sounds so wonderful."

Daring closed her eyes and tried to hear the music again. "I must be getting old. Wings or hooves?"

"Wings, but let's stay low," Marion replied.

"Gotcha. Want to look for this mystery music house?" Daring asked.

"Sure. You really can't hear this?" Marion asked, a hint of concern in her voice.

Daring shook her head. "You take point, Marion."

Marion began to hum along to the tune as she and Daring flew through the trees, juking and dodging a maze of branches and trunks. The sky began to darken above and after a tremendous crash of thunder, a gently drizzle began to fall over Everfree, providing a welcome relief from the hot summer sun. Marion, seemed to be enthralled by the music and began to fly faster and faster as the music began to intensify. Daring was slowed by her packs and struggled to keep up with Marion and yelled for her to slow her pace, but Marion could hear naught but the music.

As the pair arrived at a large clearing the music abruptly stopped. Daring and Marion came to a halt and tried to catch their breath as the drizzle became a downpour. Sweat poured off both the mares and their wing muscles burned from their frantic flight. Marion set down on the forest floor, anxiously looking for the source of the music, but could see nothing but trees and plants. Daring landed and sat up against a tree, taking a long draught from her canteen as she swept off her helmet and let the rain soak her mane.

Daring was screwing the top back onto her canteen when she felt a sudden sense of unease, like a little voice in her head telling her to be wary. As a veteran adventurer, she had felt that feeling many times before, and knew something was wrong. She knew it had to be related to the music. Why can only Marion hear this? And why was she flying like a mare possessed? Hay bales. I know I've read of something like this before...

Mario looked towards a tree that seemed big enough to house a home. "Hello?"

The sound of raindrops pattering against Daring's helmet was the only response.

"Well this is a bit odd, isn't it," Marion said as she looked back at Daring, who was suspiciously scanning the area, her hoof slowly drifting towards a bullwhip coiled at her hip. Marion began to speak and Daring held a hoof up to her mouth. Daring whispered, "Be on your guard. Remember the tale of the sirens, whose music led ships to crash? Neither did I until just now."

Marion's face paled with fright. She whispered, "B-but sirens live on islands, d-don't they?"

"Yes, but this is Everfree," Daring replied.

Minutes passed with no sirens in sight, and the pair breathed a sigh of relief.

"Sorry for scaring you," Daring said as she swept up her helmet and adjusted it on her head. "I've learned to trust my instincts, and my instincts were telling me that something is not right here. I suppose it may not be sirens, but stay alert nonetheless."

"Oh, no need to apologize. What do you think was producing that music if it wasn't sirens? It sure seemed to originate from this area."

Daring took another look around and shrugged. "Could be a spirit of some sort. Perhaps a nymph having a little fun with us."

"A nymph?"

"They're nature spirits. Presumably we're dealing with a dryad, which live in trees, so this clearing may be where her home grows. Nymphs love to dance and sing, too."

"Are they hostile?" Marion asked.

Daring shook her head. "Only if you're intentionally trying to destroy their trees."

Marion began to explore the area. Strange flowers, the likes of which Marion had never seen, grew interspersed in the clearing. She took a few steps forwards and noticed that the ground was spongy, seeming to give way beneath her feet. Perplexed, she leaned down to try and study the ground. She began to claw through a thick layer of moss and gasped as she saw an inky blackness below. Her gut told her to flee, but she continued clawing away at the moss and began to expose a web of old, rotting rope, which seemed to have been placed over some enormous hole in the ground.

Marion looked back over her shoulder, "Hey, Daring! Check this out."

Daring began to clamber to her feet and gasped as she heard the rotted rope begin to snap and Marion scream. Marion spread her wings to try and escape but was too slow and the rope web became entangled around her body. Daring lashed out with her whip and wrapped it around one of Marion's back legs. Daring dug her hooves into the ground and frantically flapped her wings as she was slowly drug towards the gaping chasm.

Movement from above caught Daring's eye and she glanced upwards and saw a high-tech gyrocopter hovering above the clearing. Rapidly rappelling towards Daring was an Earth pony mare with turquoise hair and a pale, bluish-white coat, she was wearing camouflage fatigues and had on a pair of dark sunglasses. There was something in the Earth pony's expression, a lopsided smirk, that sent chills down Daring's spine. The mare's smirk and the fact that her gyrocopter was almost soundless told Daring all she needed to know - she was in trouble.

The mare hit the ground and unhooked herself from the rappel line as she performed a defensive roll. then began galloping towards Daring. Daring found herself with two options. She could let go of the whip, letting Marion fall on her own, and confront the mysterious mare while she herself was encumbered by supplies. Or she could let herself be pulled down with Marion, where hopefully they could regroup and be prepared to face the mare.

Daring being Daring and always craving adventure, stopped resisting and let herself be drug down the chasm, vanishing into the unknown darkness below.

The mare carefully approached the edge of the chasm and listened to Daring and Marion's fall. The mare pouted when she didn't hear the oh-so-satisfying *SPLAT* and crunching of bones that she was hoping for. She began to check the clearing for a landing zone, then hoof-signaled the gyrocopter to land. Two more Earth ponies camouflage fatigues, disembarked from the gyrocopter and trotted over to the mare. They were both stallions - one had a brawny build with dark brown hair, a scraggly beard, and a khaki coat. The other had a vicious looking scar across his muzzle with dark olive drab hair and a russet coat.

The mare pointed towards the chasm. "We need the ropes."

The stallions saluted and sprinted back to the gyrocopter and began to collect the rappel lines and climbing gear.

"What if they're dead?" the bearded Earth pony asked the mare as he hammered in an anchor for their rappelling lines.

"Well, I suppose I'd be all broken up that a dodo bird and a mutt bit the dust," the mare said, her words dripping with sarcasm.

The two stallions laughed as they finished setting up the lines. Each Earth pony pulled a flashlight out of their BDUs and strapped it to their forelegs. Satisfied that their lines were secure, the three Earths began rappelling down into the chasm in pursuit of their prey.



Chapter 4

July 6th, 2013
Deep in an underground cavern
Everfree Forest, Equestria

It had been a hectic, nerve-racking flight down through the chasm as Daring Do struggled to control their descent, bumping against stalagmites and other unseen obstacles in the darkness. Battered and bruised, Daring and Marion had been alarmed by a strange, red glow emanating from the depths ahead of them. Undaunted, they headed towards the light and entered a large, illuminated cavern where they crash landed into a field of colossal bioluminescent mushrooms. The mushrooms produced a crimson light and cast the entire area with an eerie glow.

They had crashed into one of the giant mushroom and their impact had left a small crater in the cap. The spongy flesh of the mushroom provided a welcome comfort to the beleaguered mares. Daring took deep breaths to calm herself down, then crawled over towards Marion, who was trying to break free of her entanglement.

"Are you okay?" Daring asked as she pulled at the ropes on Marion.

"I.. I think so," Marion said as they removed the last of the ropes. She sat up and winced as she stretched her wings. "I've got aches all over from hitting into rocks and such on the way down, but nothing serious, I hope. How about you?"

Daring felt a familiar presence missing for her head and glanced around the crater. "Aha!" she exclaimed as she spotted her helmet, which had been dislodged in the crash and dug itself into the side of the crater. Daring pulled her helmet out and inspected it, brushed off some mushroom flesh, then flipped it back onto her head and adjusted the brim. She winked at Marion and said, "I'm good."

Marion smiled back, then tilted her head as she listened to a sound that was rebounding across the cavern. It sounded like a faint whirring noise, and then the sound of multiple hooves striking against rock. "Please tell me you can hear this, Daring."

Daring grimly nodded as she coiled her whip and hung it back on her flank. "Yes. That would be the spec ops team that is after me, or us."

"Uh, spec ops? Like, military?"

"Yeah, special forces, although I don't believe they're with the Equestrian military," Daring explained.

"Could they be a rescue team?" Marion asked. "Our plane did get taken down."

"No. One of them tried to attack me, that's why I jumped down the hole with you," Daring said.

"So definitely not Equestrian military then... What do we do?" Marion asked.

Daring closed her eyes and listened to the echoes. "I know there's at least two of them, sounds like more, though."

Daring flew up above the mushroom and peered into the gloom. "We can keep going deeper into this cavern and try to lose 'em. Are you good to go?"

Marion flapped her wings and hovered alongside Daring. She felt some pain from her injuries, but not enough to cause her problems. "I'm ready, not going to be able to hit my top wing power, though."

"That's fine. Let's get moving," Daring said, then began to fly deeper into the cavern. The mushroom field continued for several hundred feet, and at the far side of the cavern Daring and Marion found a large lake, filled with small, translucent cavefish. 

Daring warily looked back over her shoulder at the mushrooms and had an idea. "Wait here," she said to Marion.

Daring swiftly flew towards the beginning of the mushroom field, and gave one a powerful kick with her hind legs, resulting in a shower of spores. Daring darted between each mushroom and kicked it, and when she got back to Marion the cavern behind her was filled with a massive cloud of spores. 

Daring smugly looked upon her handiwork and winked at Marion. "That should buy us some time."

"Awesome, good thinking! I took the liberty of checking out what was ahead, if we keep following the lake there is eventually a tunnel we can head down," Marion said.

Daring and Marion flew past the underground lake and found the tunnel Marion had spotted. The light from the mushrooms barely illuminated the area, so Daring grabbed some torches from her packs and lit them. As the pair continued into the darkness, Marion nervously commented, "I sure hope the weirdness of Everfree doesn't extend down here..."

"I would presume that it does," Daring said. "Those giant mushrooms can't be natural."

"Oh, right... Well, I'm worried we'll run into some horrid monster down here," Marion said, as she moved closer to Daring.

"If there was anything, it would probably be scared of us, or more precisely, our torches," Daring said. "Why, I remember this ancient labyrinth I was exploring once. My sources said that nopony had set hoof in it for thousands of years due to this immortal minotaur that was said to guard the treasure within. Now, I was really, really interested due to the claim that it had never been plundered, since that meant all the relics should be there. So, I set up an expedition, enticed a couple of university archaeology students to come along to boot. None of the locals would dare set foot near the place, so we just headed on in ourselves. Everything was going great, tons of Classical Age artifacts in pristine condition. Not even any dust or debris on them, which we thought was a bit strange, but shrugged it off."

Marion grinned. "The immortal minotaur was keeping it all clean, right?"

"Bingo. So we heard this dreadful roar and turned to see this big ol' minotaur bearing down on us with an axe. One of the students was a unicorn and had been using a light spell. He panicked at the sight of the minotaur and overcharged his spell which caused this blinding flash of light. The axe clattered to the ground and the minotaur screamed bloody murder and ran like Cerberus himself had come to drag him into Tartarus. You see, he'd been living in darkness for so long his eyes just couldn't stand the light, let alone that much light. We finished our dig without ever seeing him again."

"Hey, I think I've seen those artifacts you recovered from that labyrinth! Back when I was a filly, our museum had them on loan," Marion said. "Thanks for telling me that story, it makes me feel safer."

Daring smiled. "You're welcome."

As they continued through the tunnel, they could see glinting formations of crystals growing from all sides of the tunnel in the distance. As they began to fly through the crystals, they could see that many had been broken, as if a great beast had flown through the tunnel, and their shattered remains littered the ground. Daring bent down to inspect the broken crystal pieces and found layers of dirt upon them, suggesting they had been lying there for quite some time. Daring looked up at Marion, who was anxiously peering into the darkness ahead of them, and told her, "Don't worry, whatever it was that barreled through here and broke these things should be long gone. Decades ago, at least, judging by the amount of dust and dirt on these."

With the tale of an immortal minotaur fresh on her mind, Daring's words did little to comfort Marion, but she continued along despite her fears, staying at Daring's heels. As they continued through the tunnel, they entered a small chamber with openings in the ceiling and floor. Daring flew towards the floor to investigate the hole and backflipped away as a cloud of multicolored bats streamed upwards. Marion screamed and backed against the wall as the bats - which had green, leaf-like ears and patterns on their bodies to look like various pieces of fruit - continued to surge upwards. After a minute, the last of the bats vanished into the hole in the ceiling.

"What were those?" Marion asked, as she cautiously flew around the hole and caught up to Daring.

"Fruit bats. They'll be of no harm to you, unless you're made of fruit," Daring explained.

"Oh, thank goodness," Marion said. "They gave me quite the startle when they came flying up like that."

Daring laughed. "Yeah, I heard. We should follow them, they were probably headed to the surface to feed."

Daring and Marion flew towards the hole in the ceiling and began to explore. Around a hundred feet up, the walls began to close in, leaving a perfect passage for fruit bats, but much to small an opening for a pegasus or hippogriff. They flew back to the chamber and Daring rummaged through her packs, pulling out some carrots and cucumbers, which she shared with Marion.

"Which way should we try next?" Marion asked as she munched on the veggies.

Daring looked down into the hole in the floor, then nodded towards the tunnel. "We'll go this way, no telling if the other bat passageway will bottleneck like the upper one did. On the plus side, that bottom tunnel should occupy at least one of those spec ops ponies. They could be wandering through there for hours if we get really lucky."

"What do you think they want with you?" Marion asked.

"I've made many enemies over the years, most of which would love to see me dead or in their dungeon," Daring casually said. "Ahuizotl, greedy antiquities dealers, the Amethyst Corporation, corrupt archeologists, Crown Prince Rothoof, obscenely wealthy businessponies, Khan One-Eye, the Black Heart cult.... Those who seek artifacts for avaricious reasons don't really care for me and my policy of giving my finds to museums. Any one of them could have hired a mercenary crew to come after me."

"Geez... I don't know how you can live like that," Marion said. "If It was me, I would just hide in a safe room with armed guards watching me 24/7! I suppose there's more to you that is daring than just your name."

Daring laughed and crunched happily into a carrot as the pair nibbled at the rest of their dinner. After they finished the vegetables, Daring produced a hoofful of wrapped candies - Goatze's Caramel Creams. Enjoyed by generations since they were created by a family of Baltimarean baker goats in 1918, Caramel Creams are a delicious treat of soft, chewy caramel wrapped around a rich, creamy center.

Caramel Creams were one of Daring's favorite sweets, and Marion seemed quite taken with them as well. After finishing their dessert, they ventured onwards through the main tunnel. A few minutes later they began to hear the sounds of rushing water up ahead. Intrigued, they raced through the rest of the tunnel and discovered a wall of falling water blocking their path. 

"A waterfall? What do we do now?" Marion asked.

"We need to fly through quick. Don't let the water push you down, since we don't know what's below," Daring said as she pulled a thing of matches out a pack and placed it in the liner of her helmet. She checked all her packs and satchels, making sure they were secured, and then went over Marion's. Confident their gear was ready, Daring told Marion to go first.

Marion flew back through the tunnel, then turned and accelerated, passing through the waterfall like a bullet. Daring did the same, one hoof holding the torch below her to try and shield it from the water, and the other firmly holding onto her beloved helmet. On the other side she found a merry Marion. "That was fun! Reminds me of when my family and I visited a water park in Las Pegasus."

Daring smiled at Marion and shook some of the water off of herself, then began to investigate their surroundings. They were in another large cavern which featured several waterfalls pouring down from the darkness above, producing a large lake at the bottom. Daring and Marion split up to search for any side tunnels leading out of the flooded cavern. As Marion flew along the outer wall, her heart skipped a beat as she saw a large object beginning to materialize in the gloom ahead. She soared towards the object and her lips drew back into a smile as she began to make out the lines of an airship, bobbing in the waters.

Marion joyfully yelled, "Daring! Please tell me you can see this too!"

Chapter 5